Criminal Minds Analysis: Profile The Show

[Old Dog]

Trying to narrow down a short list of favourite episodes from the early seasons just depresses me about how the show is now when I can instantly name the one or two episodes that stand out in the last few.

[ForeverAlone]

PART of Reid's screen decline (though by no means the only reason, as per Matthew) is likely because of his injury. 

[SSAHotchner]

I know! That's what made me want to make the chart, everyone got under 350 words and Tara got over 800 so I wanted to see how it looked. On the total chart for season 11 so far it's

Morgan: 19.2%

Reid: 18.2%

Garcia: 17.1%

Tara: 16.6%

Rossi: 13.4%

Hotch: 14.2

JJ: 0.4%

Hotch really should have more. Reid is getting a lot more attention this season, although I don't have all the previous seasons to compare it to you in % but it feels that way. That makes me worry that he's leaving.

It infuriates me that Hotch gets so little these days. I sometimes wonder if Thomas just doesn't care anymore as long as he gets a regular (hefty) paycheck. 

[Danielg342]

I find it odd that Hotch's storyline is so prominent for at least the first half of Season 5 yet he gets shafted in the lines department. You'd think he'd get more focus than that.

[zannej]

Reid's % is going to drop a bit more since he's not in at least 3 episodes.

[ForeverAlone]

I bet we start to see Reid's percentage drop significantly by season 8. 

[Danielg342]

I think Reid will drop in Season 8, but it'll be more dramatic in Season 9, since in S8, he did get an arc (albeit a terrible one).

[zannej]

Yeah, I think that Anderson was dancing with Gina Sharp. I admit, I still ship them as a couple. LOL. They are the ONLY people on the show I ship. Well, I used to like Garcia + Kevin, but since Nicholas Brendan has an alcohol problem and tried to kill himself, I don't think he'll be back on the show.

Edited November 24, 2015 by zannej

[gomezoo01]

Sorry, I wrote my reply in hurry, so full of misspellings.

[novhappy]

Hi! I am new here and just started watching CM. I am wondering if you guys have thoughts or lists on the most painful victims family notifications to watch. The most difficult "your daughter/loved one/baby is missing/dead" reactions. Any ideas?

[Sharpie66]

The first one that comes to mind is Season 2's Open Season, when the new sheriff requests JJ's help in telling the victim's father that his son is dead. That man's reaction is just gut-wrenching to me--the actor really nailed the pain and loss.

[normasm]

novhappy, welcome! I really love the episode Tabula Rasa (Season 4), and in it, newbie Reid, in a flashback, deals with Darcy's father who has come out to where her body has been found. He gently guides Mr. Darcy'sFather back to his car, saying, "If that's her, it's not a memory you want." So, good notification (as good as something like that can be). Painful was the father actually finding his son's body in the Caller (Season 10?). That was agonizing.

[Droogie]

Hi! I am new here and just started watching CM. I am wondering if you guys have thoughts or lists on the most painful victims family notifications to watch. The most difficult "your daughter/loved one/baby is missing/dead" reactions. Any ideas?

When the father in "Mosley (sp?) Lane" learned his lost son was dead, but had been alive only the previous day.

Edited December 3, 2015 by Droogie

[normasm]

Yes, Droogs, when he says, "He was alive yesterday?" It's crushing.

[ForeverAlone]

I thought the notification in Zoe's Reprise was pretty painful.

[Bookish Jen]

Yes, Droogs, when he says, "He was alive yesterday?" It's crushing.

Never fails to break my heart.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I thought the notification in Zoe's Reprise was pretty painful.

 

And it could have been really cheesy, because Zoe's mother lets out this long, "Ohhhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooooo!" when she gets the news, but Bess Armstrong made Sheila's anguish authentic, and then her anger when she told Rossi off about paying for her daughter's headstone.

 

"I don't need or want your money. I have taken care of my daughter for twenty-two years, and she is still my responsibility. I don't need any help from you. You didn't even know her."

Edited December 4, 2015 by Cobalt Stargazer

[Reghan]

Some of y'all are going to very much disagree with my choices judging from what I read.

 

Favorite characters:

Prentiss

Garcia

Reid

JJ

Hotch

Rossi

Elle

Morgan(Shemar's ego really turns me off to his character)

Gideon

 

Favorite episodes in no particular order:

Burn

Risky Business

Lucky

Penelope

Mayhem

Amplification

North Mammon

Revelations

100

200

Mosley lane

Lauren-Her acting here is :D

hit/run

demons

Sex, birth and death

 

 

Worst

GARCIA'S RED HAIR

 

Best

Her hair in season's 8-10

Edited December 7, 2015 by Reghan

[Old Dog]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions of course. But Yikes! Burn?? 200?? Seriously??

[rapgodminho]

OH GOD ALL YOUR POSTS DISAPPEARED THAT WAS LIKE ENTIRE SEASONS

[rapgodminho]

Perhaps it was bad karma for stopping. hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnt

just kidding I don't get to hint until I update iniquity oh my god

[rapgodminho]

Only difference is that I don't sit in that horrendously painful looking splayed leg position. dayum nature u scary

[Danielg342]

This is why I like writing short stories/serials. Gives me the satisfaction of having “completed” something while still being able to build the greater story at its own pace.

That, and my attention span sucks. :p

Edited December 7, 2015 by Danielg342

[Reghan]

Because I love Garcia and how even on death row she tries to make him happy. I like that she goes to his execution even though she really doesn't want to...and I'm a sucker for Morgan/Garcia, as much as I hate morgan, I like that he was there for her in the end. 

 

Also Kirsten's acting

Also the Morgan/Reid scene.

 

I don't mean that I like them romantically, just their friendship.

 

I love 200 because Prentiss's return(It was nice to see her back, no matter how weird it was) and we learn about JJ losing the baby.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Reghan

[Guesswht]

My own predictions for Reid. 

Season 9: 15% ish

Season 10 Under 13%

I think that's about right.

[secnarf]

I don't like the overwhelming need to put the blame on the actress for JJ's rise to stardom and subsequent decline of the show's quality. I don't care if people don't like the character or how she has changed - I don't particularly either. But I don't think it is fair to blame the actress who has nothing to do with writing or producing the show. Would she like the changes and more screen time? I imagine absolutely -if for no other reason than it would be more protection than being summarily fired for not being young enough. But blaming her for the decline of he quality of the show - when it has been 11 years and the writers have been there for a huge number of years and don't have any original stories? Not fair. Unless AJ Cook has been secretly writing and executive-producing the show for the last 6 years - not her fault.

 

Also there is a disproportionate level of vitriol aimed at JJ/AJ Cook that is not levelled at Morgan/Shemar (who has been doing the same thing since day 1) or Hotch/Thomas (who also directs the show on occasion) or Matthew Gubler(who has written episodes since season 5). Plus, Prentiss used to bust down doors with Morgan - not much of a difference.

 

I'm not saying people need to love JJ. I don't like Morgan, Garcia or Gideon. I preferred JJ before season 6. But I am saying the actress does not deserve the blame for the way the show is going/how her character has been written.

Perhaps it is time to revive this thread!

I know discussions along these lines have occurred in this thread before, but it seems to have been buried under more recent/active topics.

[BookWoman56]

It may be easy for some viewers to blame AJ Cook for the show's increased focus on JJ,, but I personally don't hold her at fault. I think her acting is adequate, if not inspired, but part of that may be the writing that has created JJ to be a very bland character. For some of the other characters, though, I dislike the characters and do find fault with the actors. Morgan struck me as a mean-spirited prick early in the series and from day one I disliked the idea that the team needed someone whose primary skill is physical strength. They're profiling killers presumably to figure out where they are and why they are killing, and so breaking down a door or getting into physical fights with suspects should be the exception, not the rule, at least IMO. As for Shemar himself, I think he is the show's weak link in terms of acting; I can't ever forget while watching his scenes that he's acting. Hotch as a character has never resonated with me, which is odd because I usually prefer quiet, stoic characters. I am largely indifferent to him, probably because for the last couple of seasons I've felt that he could be replaced by one of those animatronic devices that would simply repeat "Wheels up in 30" with no loss to the show. Gibson seems to be adequate as an actor most of the time, but nothing about his performance would ever make me look him up in another role. Garcia bugs because I feel like she should have adjusted by now to gory photographs, quit blowing her own horn, etc. but I think KV has played the character well enough.

 

My rant: Why does it apparently seem impossible for them to bring in and keep a female profiler other than JJ for longer than a couple of seasons? They've gone through Elle, Emily, Seaver, Alex, and Kate. Three of those actresses left more or less of their own accord, AFAIK, while two were fired/laid off. And yet among the male profilers, only Gideon has left, which should have surprised nobody given Mandy's history. I know LG left because she wanted to move back to NY, but I have to wonder if JT and JLH left because TPTB made them feel undervalued.

 

As an adjunct to that rant, my biggest issue with the show in terms of cast is that in the early seasons, it felt more like an ensemble cast where it was easy to see what each team member brought to the table. For the last few seasons, it's felt more like a couple of team members are always front and center, with everybody else relegated to the sidelines, and their skills are interchangeable. If I were a new viewer, I'd be wondering why the team is so large, when apparently all it really takes is two profilers and one magic computer to solve any given case.

[ReidFan]

I came into CM fandom late, just this past February. But it was the old reruns on A&E that grabbed me, not the new ones airing on CBS/CTV. It's funny, I started at Revelations (which remains my favourite episode to date) and saw up to about season four in a matter of a couple weeks, and it must have been concurrent with CBS/CTV preempting the 'new' Wednesday night episodes. I finally found the 'new' ones a few weeks into it, and honest to god, it was like it was an entirely different show. Ed Bernero was soooooooooo much better at heading this up. Good lord, season 1-4 were soooo much better. Everything! The writing, the stories, the profiling, the ensemble feel...Makes me weep for what could have been :-\

[Danielg342]

Ed Bernero was soooooooooo much better at heading this up. Good lord, season 1-4 were soooo much better. Everything! The writing, the stories, the profiling, the ensemble feel...Makes me weep for what could have been :-\

 

I wonder that too- I've often felt that CM never did write it's "best ever episode". Sure, there are episodes I consider the best CM has actually produced- but I do feel that the show had potential it didn't live up to, even though it got close.

[Guesswht]

My rant: Why does it apparently seem impossible for them to bring in and keep a female profiler other than JJ for longer than a couple of seasons? They've gone through Elle, Emily, Seaver, Alex, and Kate. Three of those actresses left more or less of their own accord, AFAIK, while two were fired/laid off. And yet among the male profilers, only Gideon has left, which should have surprised nobody given Mandy's history. I know LG left because she wanted to move back to NY, but I have to wonder if JT and JLH left because TPTB made them feel undervalued.

They got supremely lucky to have Paget after Lola Glaudini left; she's done a great job and she made Prentiss one of the most kick-ass women on TV.

 

Jeanne was a lovely addition to the show but she was neglected and treated like dirt for 2 years. She probably felt like she was ruining the show..which is absolutely not true. Sadly, she left.

JLH left because she birthed another kid. She's coming back. I think s12 will be the last season.

[JunebugWA]

Is it me or the show is incredibly dark this season? Not the tone but the scenes - it is like everything happens in the middle of the night or in dark corners 

 

Edited December 15, 2015 by JunebugWA

[smoker]

rewatching season 3

they are doing reruns of season 3, 7, 10 and 11 here (and they are showing Mr. Scratch xP)

I just watched Hotch puting Rossi in his place, my heart is going to burst

Edited December 19, 2015 by smoker

[novhappy]

I just watched Mosley Lane. Wow that episode destroyed me and, wow, the "he was alive yesterday" was crushing. I really appreciate you guys lists of best and worst episodes. I have been using them to narrow down the eps I record and focus on.

[amensisterfriend]

Feeling in desperate need of some positivity today, so a huge thanks in advance to anyone who humors me here ;) What are some of your favorite episodes for each character? Reid, Elle, Hotch, Gideon, Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, JJ, and/or Garcia?! These don't even have to be episodes in which the character is front and center---for example, "Sex, Birth, Death" is one of my favorite Garcia episodes even though it's technically more Reid-centric because she's just so awesome here.  

[normasm]

I'm tending more towards episodes that feature one-on-one relationships, like Hotch and Reid in LDSK, and their 1/3 of Damaged. They are also so good together in Tabula Rasa working together, and Elephant's Memory at cross purposes.

 

I love Hotch and Rossi in Omnivore, Rossi trying to keep Hotch from thinking it's all his fault ("here's my gun."). Reid and Prentiss in Minimal Loss, the look he gives her when she says, "It's me."

[amensisterfriend]

Oooh, good ones, normasm! On that note, I'd love to hear people's favorite Elle/Reid episodes, Hotch/Reid episodes, anyone/anyone episodes, etc. :) 

[novhappy]

I don't have favorite character episodes but I think my favorite episodes are where the question a suspect in an interrogation room and take turns breaking the suspect down. Or when they have a person with info in and peel it out of them. They use different psychological tricks and I find that part interesting vI don't know ep titles so I can't cite unfortunately.

[Bookish Jen]

I don't have favorite character episodes but I think my favorite episodes are where the question a suspect in an interrogation room and take turns breaking the suspect down. Or when they have a person with info in and peel it out of them. They use different psychological tricks and I find that part interesting vI don't know ep titles so I can't cite unfortunately.

The name of the episode is escaping me right now, and I'm too lazy to look it up, but there is a scene where Hotch and Reid are talking to some murderous scum whom I believe is on death row. Reid is walking around the criminal, profiling like a boss (or as I like to call it "foreplay"), and Hotch slowly takes off his suit jacket and loosens his tie. This scene turns me on so much because apparently I am a trollop.

[Old Dog]

The name of the episode is escaping me right now, and I'm too lazy to look it up, but there is a scene where Hotch and Reid are talking to some murderous scum whom I believe is on death row. Reid is walking around the criminal, profiling like a boss (or as I like to call it "foreplay"), and Hotch slowly takes off his suit jacket and loosens his tie. This scene turns me on so much because apparently I am a trollop.

Damaged! I loved that story and how Reid's talking saved them. Not so keen on the other storyline in the episode with Rossi trying to solve an old murder.

[Bookish Jen]

Damaged! I loved that story and how Reid's talking saved them. Not so keen on the other storyline in the episode with Rossi trying to solve an old murder.

Thanks for the title. But wait, there was another story line? Hmm, I just remember Hotch and Reid.

[Old Dog]

Thanks for the title. But wait, there was another story line? Hmm, I just remember Hotch and Reid.

The other story was Rossi trying to solve an old case where the parents of 3 children were murdered - it turned out it was by a mentally challenged clown from the travelling fair who hadn't really grasped what he had done and his father was covering it up all those years. Emily, JJ and Morgan took the jet (!) and fleww out to help Rossi. That;s also the episode that started with Rossi catching Garcia and Kevin in flagrante and where Reid professed ignorance of the song K.I.S.S.I.N.G!

[amensisterfriend]

Here's a random but fun challenge for this thread...If you had to pick just ONE:

 

Elle or Emily? 

Gideon or Rossi? 

Season 1 or Season 4? (These two are almost always the most popular, which is why I singled them out!) 

Season 2 or Season 3? 

Kate or Tara? 

Hotch/Hailey or Hotch/Beth? 

Reid's dynamic with Elle, Emily or JJ? 

Knowing the Unsub right away or more of a whondunit format? 

Unsubs you can sympathize with (due to circumstances, mental illness, background, etc.) or unrepentant psychopaths? 

Season premieres vs season finales overall? 

 

 

And, of course, it's always fun to read explanations of everyone's choices! And feel free to add your own "choose --- vs ---" items to this list :) 

[Old Dog]

1. Emily - well, early Emily at least.

2. Rossi - well, early Rossi at least - not fond of cuddly Grandpa.

3. Season 4 - it has the most, best episodes. But it's a close call with Season 1.

4. Season 2 - Revelations!

5. Kate - I thought she was a better fit. I feel as if Tara has been thrust down our throats and she is too good, too fast.

6. Hotch/Hailey - the Beth storyline was the biggest load of dreck.

7. Reid's dynamic with Emily - Elle is a close second. I can only view JJ as a Mean Girl now however much they try to soften her down.

8. I don't mind so much knowing the unsub right away although I guess I prefer a whodunnit. What I really don't like is seeing the whole crime in detail so we know all the who's and why's and it seems like the team is playing catch up. If they show the unsub early but the details have to be worked out by both the team and the viewer then that;s OK.

9. I like to see a variety of unsubs so no preference.

10. Early finales were great - especially when we had cliffhangers. Lately I guess premieres are better because we still have hope for the season ahead when they air.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Old Dog

[normasm]

Here's a random but fun challenge for this thread...If you had to pick just ONE:

 

Elle or Emily? 

Gideon or Rossi? 

Season 1 or Season 4? (These two are almost always the most popular, which is why I singled them out!) 

Season 2 or Season 3? 

Kate or Tara? 

Hotch/Hailey or Hotch/Beth? 

Reid's dynamic with Elle, Emily or JJ? 

Knowing the Unsub right away or more of a whondunit format? 

Unsubs you can sympathize with (due to circumstances, mental illness, background, etc.) or unrepentant psychopaths? 

Season premieres vs season finales overall? 

 

 

And, of course, it's always fun to read explanations of everyone's choices! And feel free to add your own "choose --- vs ---" items to this list :) 

 

Elle or Emily? Emily

Gideon or Rossi? Early Rossi

Season 1 or Season 4? (These two are almost always the most popular, which is why I singled them out!) 4, no doubt

Season 2 or Season 3? 3, if only for Tabula Rasa

Kate or Tara? Neither, Alex.

Hotch/Hailey or Hotch/Beth? Hotch/Hailey, although i like Hotch alone now, very much.

Reid's dynamic with Elle, Emily or JJ? Toss-up between Elle, who tried to encourage him, knowing he needed encouragement, and treated him like a man, and Emily, who genuinely liked him and treated him mostly well.

Knowing the Unsub right away or more of a whondunit format? Whodunit is preferred, but a well-written unsub why-doneit is good too.

Unsubs you can sympathize with (due to circumstances, mental illness, background, etc.) or unrepentant psychopaths? Either, as long as they are well-written, and secondary to the team.

 

Season premieres vs season finales overall? 4 good enders (although we haven't seen this season's) to 5 premieres, so premieres.

[ForeverAlone]

Elle or Emily?- hmmm...hard one to call, because I love them both. But I would likely choose Emily.
Gideon or Rossi?...another hard call. If it was between Gideon and early Rossi, that is nearly a Sophie's choice. But between Gideon and current Rossi, it is Gideon by a country mile.
Season 1 or Season 4? (These two are almost always the most popular, which is why I singled them out!)...another hard call, but I would likely go with Season 4.
Season 2 or Season 3?...Likely Season 3, because I don't like many episodes post Revelations.
Kate or Tara?...I like both, but likely Tara, just because she doesn't come saddled with an annoying teenage girl
Hotch/Hailey or Hotch/Beth?...even though I have no problem with Hotch/Beth, I think Hotch/Hailey when they were happy was better.
Reid's dynamic with Elle, Emily or JJ?...In the order of preference- Elle, Emily and way, way in the back...JJ
Knowing the Unsub right away or more of a whondunit format?...while there are some episodes where knowing the unsub early is fine, overall, I think the whodunit format is better and produces better stories.
Unsubs you can sympathize with (due to circumstances, mental illness, background, etc.) or unrepentant psychopaths?...UNREPENTANT PSYCHOPATHS. Outside of only a handful, I hate it when the show tries to make us sympathize with the unsubs. I prefer unsubs that kill, because they like it, because that damn scarier. I don't watch for unsubs that make me want to give them a blanket and cocoa, because they have been dealt a bad hand. 
Season premieres vs season finales overall?...generally speaking, most of the season premieres have been good (aside from season nine, but that was generally a season of suck, so it makes sense that it started that way). This show hasn't delivered a TRULY exciting season finale (for me at least) since season four. 

Edited January 12, 2016 by ForeverAlone

[amensisterfriend]

Can I just say how much I love you guys for answering?! And some of the editorial comments accompanying the responses had me literally laughing out loud. You've inspired me to actually try to answer my own questions...which, given my indecisiveness, is no easy feat :) 

 

Elle or Emily? ARGH! How is this already so hard? Why was I sadistic enough to come up with these? ;) So EarlyEmily, where she's a little more awkward and endearingly dorky instead of more of the Generic Edgy Badass and 'party girl with a PAST' they tried to do with her later, is an all time favorite of mine and extremely relatable to me. But Elle was more sharply and consistently defined IMO, and I really, really love her relationship with Reid. So Early Emily is my special favorite if we can distinguish earlier incarnations of the character from later ones, but I'd probably go with Elle overall. Yeah, I know...that answer was clear as mud ;) 

Gideon or Rossi? As many of us have said before and will no doubt have occasion to say again, I would prefer to know Rossi in real life. I LIKE Rossi more. But as a fictional character, I found Gideon more compelling and prefer his more nuanced relationships with other members of the team to the relentlessly bland "everybody has the exact same dully friendly relationship with everyone else!" stuff we've gotten during most of the Rossi years. 

 

Season 1 or Season 4? (These two are almost always the most popular, which is why I singled them out!) I'll be honest here...this one varies so much that if you asked me the same question tomorrow, I might have a different answer :) As of today, though, I'll go with S4. As others have said, there are just so many amazing episodes/cases and so few skip-worthy ones. Season 1 is still a little awkward and clunky at points, as is typical of show's first seasons :) 

Season 2 or Season 3? Yet another borderline impossible one, because for me S2 has higher highs (i.e. more episodes that happen to be among my special favorites) but also lower lows (episodes I'd be fine never watching again). S3 is consistently really good but for some reason just doesn't have many episodes that would make my top 15. I guess I'll go with S2---it has a handful of episodes that I really, really love, S2 Emily is my very favorite, and I prefer Reid's S2 hair :) 

Kate or Tara? Kate, but then I've always been among the few who has a soft spot for Jennifer Love Hewitt. I agree that her niece was insufferable, though. (And ITA with whoever would have picked Alex if that had been a choice!) 

Hotch/Hailey or Hotch/Beth? Is it cheating to say neither?! But I'll be super unpopular and say Beth. I thought her borderline ditzy cheerfulness, while annoying to many viewers, was just what the understandably morose Hotch needed at the time. And for some weird reason I never liked Hailey--she just always came off as kind of joyless and shrewish to me, and I say this as someone who objectively understands her position. 

 

Reid's dynamic with Elle, Emily or JJ? Weirdly enough, this is the easiest question for me to answer---Elle! I do like his dynamic with Emily as well, though. 

Knowing the Unsub right away or more of a whondunit format? No, wait, THIS is the easiest to answer ;) Even though many of my favorite episodes happen to be ones where we know the Unsub's identity, I'm a lifelong whodunit/mystery buff, so twists and surprises rather than just impatiently waiting for the team to stumble on everything that WE already know are always greatly appreciated. 

Unsubs you can sympathize with (due to circumstances, mental illness, background, etc.) or unrepentant psychopaths? As others have said, I like a mixture of both, but many of the most memorable ones for me do tend to be the ones who are mentally ill, juveniles, the victim of terrible circumstances etc. 

Season premieres vs season finales overall? Premieres. For some reason I tend to be let down by the show's finales. 

 

If anyone has additional questions, please ask!!! 

Edited January 12, 2016 by amensisterfriend

[secnarf]

Elle or Emily? Emily - no contest :P

Gideon or Rossi? Rossi, again no contest

Season 1 or Season 4? Season 4 - presence of Emily and Rossi!

Season 2 or Season 3? Season 3 - see above

Kate or Tara? Kate

Hotch/Hailey or Hotch/Beth? No real preference, but I think Hailey

Reid's dynamic with Elle, Emily or JJ? Emily

Knowing the Unsub right away or more of a whondunit format? Whodunit 90%, know unsub right away 10%

Unsubs you can sympathize with (due to circumstances, mental illness, background, etc.) or unrepentant psychopaths? 50-50 mix

Season premieres vs season finales overall? Premieres - too much drama in the finales usually, and cliffhangers drive me mad.

[SSAHotchner]

Damaged! I loved that story and how Reid's talking saved them. Not so keen on the other storyline in the episode with Rossi trying to solve an old murder.

I also love how Hotch opens up to Reid about his divorce when they're driving home. 

[SSAHotchner]

Elle or Emily?  Emily, by a hair. I loved Elle
Gideon or Rossi? Gideon only because the scripts for those episodes were much better.
Season 1 or Season 4? (These two are almost always the most popular, which is why I singled them out!)  4
Season 2 or Season 3? 2
Kate or Tara? Prefer Alex to both of them.
Hotch/Hailey or Hotch/Beth? Hailey, CAN'T STAND BETH
Reid's dynamic with Elle, Emily or JJ? Elle
Knowing the Unsub right away or more of a whondunit format? Whodunit
Unsubs you can sympathize with (due to circumstances, mental illness, background, etc.) or unrepentant psychopaths? PSYCHOS!!! I'm tired of everyone making excuses for criminals. Committing a crime is a CHOICE. 
Season premieres vs season finales overall? Premieres have been better, IMO, for the most part. 

[ForeverAlone]

I know most of us agree that the episodes where the unsub is hidden at first is preferable, BUT we concede that sometimes knowing the unsub early doesn't always mean a suck episode.

So with that mind, what are some episodes you like where the unsub was featured early?

Here are some of mine off the top of my head (in no particular order).

Derailed

Charm and Harm

The Last Word

No Way Out

The Big Game

Scared to Death

Minimal Loss

Masterpiece

Pleasure is My Business

Remembrance of Things Past (I think we saw the unsub early in that one)

Sense Memory

Dorado Falls

True Genius

Heathridge Manor

The Company